piano curricula?

[Bob]

Does anyone have any piano curricula they'd like to share?  Long-term plans for beginners as well as college and post-college would be greatly appreciated. 
Thanks!

[m1469]

Yes, I do Bob

Okay, this is a work in progress as I am just realizing (in the past few months) what I want and how to get myself a little better organized, too.  But it's a start.

How to practice
Recognize groups of two and three black notes
Learn and recognize names of all white keys
Musical phone # frontward and backward : starting from anywhere
Get to know the Grand Staff : 11 lines, 10 spaces, G clef and F clef
Landmark notes
Name ALL lines and spaces on The Grand Staff
Be able to find all notes from C2 to C6 from staff to piano (then all notes)
Pieces by ear/rote
Reading the music
Transposition/ Circle of 5ths
Finger numbers
Intervals : on piano, staff, by ear
Solfege : sight singing
Sight reading
Repertoire accumulation
Rhythm

Scales/Key signatures/Circle of 5ths
Chords (triads)/ bigger chords and inversions
Cadences
Common chord progressions

All modes : by ear, on staff, on piano
Dictation : Rhythm, Harmonic, Melodic
Improvisation/Composition
Basic Musical Forms
Part-writing
Roman numeral analysis

Instrumentation of an Orchestra
Chronolgy of Composers
Music Appreciation (Listening)
Concert attendance
Critique
Performance
Ensemble/Accompanying
Conducting (sometimes within the very first month)


Okay, that first chunk is stuff that I concentrate on in the first month or more (depending on the individual).   That stuff is becoming fairly organized for me in terms of how I present the ideas, exactly the orders, what kinds of pieces back up the concepts, worksheets to go with them... and a bunch of etcs.   The rest of it, I will work on at all different times throughout and do not have a more definite plan yet (ideally, repertoire is linked to each skill).   hmmmm.... lots to do still.

Some of it gets learned and never really talked about again as a learning point.  For example, they learn the names of the notes simply for the sake of communication purposes.  They learn to read simply for the sake of learning repertoire.  So, once those are embedded, they just meld into the lessons.  But things like repertoire accumulation and listening, etc, will always be a part of the mix and will have continuous focus.   Also, some of this stuff gets (will get) more focus in my once-a-month class (like dictation and music history) than in their private lessons.


My plan is to take this list of things, put it in the front of a binder (just did that last night), have divided sections (or separate binders if needed) and start filling in the binder with information useful to my different goals.  Like specific repertoire ideas, online links, posts from the forum, worksheets... and so on.

That's it so far !!


m1469

[Bob]

Thanks m1469.

But I must say I'm offended by your "Re:" up there.  I most clearly wrote "curricula" and not "curriculi."  Obviously and most clearly and obviously and somewhat quite randomly, must be in err.  Everyone knows the plural form of curriculum is in fact curricula and not curriculi.  Duh on you m1469 Fox!    Please correct this most agr-r-r-r-reeeeegious error immediately (so no one realizes I went back and corrected my original post after someone correcte me on it.)  Really!  You must be more careful with your Re's m1469.  How rude!  Indeed!  I say!  Pa-shaw!  lol

I'm off to work on my curriculums now.

[m1469]

hmmmm... watch yourself, Mr Bob 

[Bob]

(Stares intensely at mirror)

[Bob]

Does anyone have anything more to add?

[luvslive]

this is really well thought out, mayla.  nice to have yourself so organized...I don't know where this would fit in (or if you want to include technique or phrasing), but
Posture and arm/hand position
Legato
Staccato
Drops
Rolls
Roll-offs
Pedalling
Hopefully I didn't repeat anything...

[m1469]

I personally do not have a separate category for "technique", and have more or less intentionally left it off, because technique is directly related to the passage that is to be learned and played.  So, any of those things that you listed there, I would include only as it comes up in repertoire study.  Or, I might choose a piece that requires those actions if it is a new challenge to the student.

As far as posture is concerned, I do not fuss with it all too much.  I generally want the students to feel natural and comfortable at the piano, so I let them start with whatever their natural inclination is, and then I correct (if/when I need to) from there. 

Generally, other than basics like putting both feet on the floor, leaning with one hand on the bench while the other is playing, or unnecessary bottom scooting along the bench (almost always unnecessary), I don't "teach" as a point of focus, what is "proper".

I have found that giving students various shapes to get into their hands seems to solve many hand and finger issues in and of itself, with only little nudgings and hints from me.  And as far as they are concerned, they are just learning music. 

Right now, what I just described above, gives me better results than fussing over those things so far as to spend time with them as a separate point of learning.  I used to teach more about how to hold the hand and so on when I first started, but that seemed to cause more problems than help.  I have, over the (few) years, narrowed it all down to a few helpful hints, and having them do musical things to feel their hand fitting around the music and the piano.  More than anything else, feeling the music and the piano in their body will make the biggest difference in terms of shaping the body around the musical task goes.  When they feel the music (and I mean a physical sensation rather than emotional) and connect that with what they are hearing, they instantly acquire a proper position and technique. 

But, I still have much more to learn of course, and I may change my mind at some point.  Aside from basic knowledge and know how, my general philosophy when it comes telling people "what to do" is, often, less is more.


m1469